Sanitising of Food Contact Surfaces

It is important to note that cleaning and sanitising are separate processes. A surface must be thoroughly cleaned before it is sanitised to ensure the effectiveness of the sanitiser in killing bacteria! What is the difference between cleaning and sanitising? – Cleaning means the removal of visible dirt or residual food matter. It may leave behind bacteria that are too small to be seen. Sanitising is using heat or chemicals to destroy any dangerous bacteria that might remain after cleaning. What do I Sanitise? – Preparation benches, chopping boards, storage containers, food utensils, meat slicers, thermometers and anything else that comes into contact with read-to-eat foods. When do I Sanitise? – Between preparing raw foods and ready-to-eat foods. For example, if a person slices raw meat for frying and then tomatoes for a salad, the board and knife must be cleaned and sanitised between these two tasks. However, the food contact surface would not need to be cleaned and sanitised if the sliced raw meat and tomatoes were to be placed in a pot to be cooked for a casserole. This is because both foods are raw and will be cooked before being eaten. Equipment used to process potentially hazardous foods, must be cleaned and sanitised every 4 hours while in use. For example, if a meat slicer is used to slice ham all day, it needs to be cleaned and sanitised at least once every 4 hours to prevent food contamination from occurring. How do I Sanitise? – Use a food grade sanitiser and follow the manufacturer’s instructions; some sanitisers need to be mixed with water, others need to be wiped off after a certain time. Ensure sanitisers are not stored in a diluted state for longer than 24 hours unless otherwise specified by the manufacturer’s instructions. Alternatively, automatic equipment such as commercial dishwasher or glass cleaners can be used to clean and sanitise equipment that operates at high temperatures (above 80oC). Most dishwashers and glass cleaners sanitise through this process.